Senior Euroleague teams are already showing interest in him • His name is listed in the notebook of all scouts in the NBA • He reminds coaches of Luis Scola and Nikola Jukic • And the Turkish team gave him the keys to the Eurobasket
Shengun.
Reminiscent of Jukic and Skola
Photo:
FIBA website
Here is a name worth remembering - Alpern Shengon.
He rises to a height of 2.06 m, is considered a leader in the race for the title of player of the season in the Turkish league, and the Turkish team is also considered a key screw.
And one more thing - he is only 18. It did not stop this huge talent from making the right decision and breaking into a cross-border consciousness.
In Israel, we already had the privilege of seeing him last season, when he played with Bandrima (formerly Benbit) against Hapoel Jerusalem in the Champions League.
Even then he got 22 minutes in both meetings against the Reds.
But this figure should not surprise anyone, because Bandrima is considered the number one club in Turkey in raising and nurturing young players.
Last summer the club was forced to retire from the league due to financial difficulties, but then Shengon headed a brilliant move - actually off the field - when he and five of his teammates moved to play in Besiktas, which added three foreigners to the young six and here begins the climb story.
True, it started badly, when the renewed Besiktas started the current season with six consecutive losses, but the connection was not long in coming and with it a 3:11 run that brings it closer to the local Final Four.
The National Water Carrier of Israel
Shangun is of course a center, defined as the greatest talent of Turkish basketball.
Despite his age, he is one of the standouts in a star-studded league.
With no stranger on the front line, he places Besiktas second in the league in rebounds, and his career in first place.
He builds it right, without being tempted to make too big a leap and rejects offers that come with a lot of money.
At the age of 8, in his hometown of Grison, Shangon played basketball and also practiced swimming, until he chose the orange ball.
He started in the local team, until coach Ahmet Gorgon discovered the young talent and brought it to the youth department of Bandrima, with whom she won the Turkish championship, when he was selected as the MVP of the season.
At the same time he won silver and bronze medals at the European Junior Championships and even participated in the Under-17 World Championships, where scout eyes in the US began to put him in notebooks. Like everyone else, they were enthusiastic about his meteoric development, which includes maturity and peace of mind.
"Every week he plays against a different center in a different style and surpasses them all," says Hussein B'Mos, ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv and now one of the leaders of the Turkish Basketball Association, who adds: "In the upcoming European Championship the team will be based on a young squad.
This expectation has new receipts, from last Saturday, when in the game that secured Turkey's place in Eurobasket (80:88 victory over Sweden) Shangun scored 24 points and dropped 12 rebounds.
"Not many young people get such an opportunity. I feel blessed and hope to be a model for young players," he said in an interview with the FIBA website.
On the way to the draft?
Hakan Demir, the coach who raised him to the ranks of Bandrima, explains how meteoric Shengon is: "He is very talented, with a winner mentality. His playing wisdom is very high and he can play in both face positions. "It's easy now. He's reminiscent of Luis Scola, but if he improves on three - point shooting, he will be a Nikola Jokic - style player."
Opok Saricha, the coach who gave Shengon his debut in the senior Turkish national team (has since left), adds: "He defends the basket with strength and blocking. He plays great with his back to the basket. He has to improve his athleticism and shooting to high levels."
It now remains to be seen which route Shangun will choose to take.
Options on the table: The NBA Draft is already this summer, beyond a senior Euroleague team such as Fenerbahce or Andulo Zero, with Barcelona already showing interest in him, and he may remain in the same team to get stronger for another season.
"Understanding his basketball, his feelings, are like those of a veteran and experienced star," compliments Andulo's coach Argin Atman. "He is very talented, cool-headed, keeps his emotions on the court. Of Shengon seals Atman: "He will be selected in the first round of the draft and will represent Turkey at the highest levels of the NBA in the future."